98

Happy Birthday to my Mother in Law!  She's 98 years old today!






She is going for 100!

She has lived an active and interesting life.  You can read about some of it {here}.  In the last seven years or so, she has been dealing with sort term memory loss, and has had several strokes.  God continues to keep her in his gentle arms, and has purpose for her life.  She still reads her bible everyday.

We'll call her later to wish her a happy birthday!

We love you Mom, and are thankful for you!

Evening At The Cottage

Last evening, I was grilling hamburgers as it was getting dark.  The skies had been grey all day, but in the photos it looks like l'heure bleue. The cottage looked cozy with the lights shining so I took a few photos.

I don't often see the cottage at night from the outside and I was happy to see that it looks warm and inviting.

Autumn: The Beauty Of Late October

We are just peaking in our autumn color here at the cottage.  Every drive I take shows this to be true of our whole area.  Nearly every tree, shrub, and plant is full of beautiful color!

It was so beautiful yesterday, that Kyle and I headed outside to read history. 

Here was my view - 

Today we have grey skies, but the trees are stunning...

There are still a few trees that have not really changed much, but in the next few weeks they will.  I like when this happens.  It allows the beauty of autumn to last.


                                                                 source

Are you enjoying Autumn?  I know for some of you the leaves have changed and fallen already.  For some, the leaves are just beginning to change and your weather has finally cooled.  Whatever your situation, I hope you are finding time, to get cozy, light a candle or diffuse some oils, read a book, watch a movie all snuggled up.  Let's allow ourselves the chance to embrace a slower pace of life during this season.

Fun Weekend

Saturday we headed to the Poconos to see some fall foliage and have lunch.

 The view from the restaurant is spectacular!

We also went to an antiques store that I like.  Here is the treasure that I found.

This delightful cookbook by Jan Karon.  It was $2.00

This darling purse by Tommy Hilfiger.  It was $1.00!

Three ramekins for .50 cents each!

This darling little tea pot with a saucer for $3.00, marked down from $6.00.  Its going to be a Christmas gift for Kamryn.

I spent a whopping $7.50 at the antiques store.

Yesterday, my cold kicked up a notch so I stayed home from church.  I'm resting, doing self care, and trying to clear my sinuses.

I hope you had a delightfilled weekend.  

Friday Five

I've been slowly getting things put where I want them after our big painting job in the living room/kitchen and hallway.

1. Picture and huge book stack in the living room this week.  Sarah cleared out her room and decided she enjoyed these books, all bought used, but no longer wanted to own them.  Anyone looking for Lori Wick books? 

2. Tim helped me by hanging this heavy mirror.  I moved it to the living room, from the end of the hallway, because this kind of beauty needs to be seen.

3. We hung the picture back up over the couch.

4. Lindsay bought me a big bunch of flowers for my birthday and gave them to me in a lovely pottery pitcher.  This week, I recut the flowers and made smaller arrangements from them and added them to the centerpiece on our table.

 5. I took this photo out of my bedroom window this morning.  I love having this view from my room.

Tim and I are taking my parents on a day trip to the Poconos tomorrow to see the beautiful trees and have lunch out.  There is also an antique store in the area I like to check out.

What are you doing tomorrow?

Autumn: Late October Here At The Cottage

I took these photos this morning, around 7:15 am.  The front of the house still in shadow but the trees beginning to catch the sunlight.

This photo was taken around 10:00 am.

I've been wanting to show you my Limelight Hydrangea.  They are lovely colors right now from soft pink to bright burgundy and the lovely lime green.

I've cut a bunch, and brought them into the house.  When they dry out, I'll add them with a bunch that I dried from late summer.  I'm thinking of putting them into a basket on top of the refrigerator.

For now I'll just enjoy their beauty in the living room and my bedroom.

Personal note- Yesterday, I met Cheryl from Thinking About Home for tea.  We found a spot between where we both live and met for the most delightful afternoon.  We plan to do it more often, which is a good thing, because I didn't even take one photo.  Not one.  And the tea room was beautiful. The weather was so lovely, and the drive filled me up with all kinds of autumn goodness.  Can't wait to do it again!

Home Keeping: Painting The Living Room, Kitchen, and Hallway

I brought up the idea of painting the living room, kitchen, and hallway months ago.  It really needed to be done.  There was some drywall repair that needed to happen also, and Nate volunteered to do that.  He's skilled in that area, and I appreciate his willingness to use his time off to do it.

Tim hates painting, so over the years, if I wanted a room painted, I did it all while he was at work.  This worked out best, because he and I work very differently, and I'm an optimist and he's not, so usually I just got the painting done while he was not home.

However, while I was visiting Emma in Tennessee, Tim started the project with some help.  Nate got the drywall repair (some seam work and some screws popping out), and Tim painted the ceiling.  Wes began cutting in the yellow paint, also.

When I came home, I had fresh ceilings, some cutting in work done, and everything from the walls and tops of the cabinets on the floor in my bedroom!

Saturday, we (Tim, Rachel, Kyle and I) got to work and finished the kitchen, living room, and one coat in the hallway.  Going over the green paint is going to take one more coat which Rachel and I will do today.  We would have got it all done, but we needed to stop for dinner and a planned evening watching Financial Peace University with the family. (more on that another day)

 I'm loving it all being refreshed, and the yellow hallway is great.  Can't wait to finish that.

This is the ceiling light fixture in the hallway.  It makes it dimmer that with just the bare bulbs, but the yellow in the hallway makes the space seamless with the living room/kitchen space, and it is much brighter overall.

Maybe the next time we need to paint, we'll just hire this work out.  Our crew here is nearly all grown with their own schedules, and Tim is busy with work, too.  I'm thinking it may be worth it, to pay to have it done.  Quicker too.  Its just way different for us, who've always done our own work, to think of having someone else do it for us.

So, what about you?  Do you like doing these projects?  As we move into our mid to late 50's I can see that these projects will more challenging to do on our own in the future.  What projects have you always done, that you pay someone else to do for you now?  I'd love to chat in the comments!

Friday Five

I've had whirlwind week after being away last week, but I wanted to share these photos with you.

1. Clark - he's rough and tumble, falls down and bounces right back up.  Hits his forehead alot. (grin)  He's so fun and I loved having time with him last week.

2. Isla got her ears pierced for her 3rd birthday.  Unfortunately, they could only do one ear at a time, so after the first, she didn't want to do the second one.  But in time she was okay and both ears are done and she loves them!

Sarah auditioned on Tuesday for her performing arts academy's spring musical, Beauty and the Beast.  She did great.  I wasn't able to be in when she auditioned, but when she was working with her coaches, Jaime and Paul, I took this photo.  

3. I love stacks of pumpkins!  So cute.  Our local produce place has lots of pumpkins for sale!

5. Our neighbors' oak tree is losing leaves and even though we'll end up with a million leaves in our yard, I just love the beauty of the differing colors!

Tomorrow we'll be finishing the painting here in the living room kitchen, and then I get to have fun figuring out where I want to put every thing!  Frankly, I'll be happy to have the painting done.  This is a job no one likes, Tim says its a necessary evil.  I don't really mind it, but I'm not good up and down ladders to cut in anymore, but I'm good with a roller! 

Have a great weekend, friends!

Autumn: Buying Pumpkins and Mums

We love to support our local produce stand.  They are a family run business, English, not Amish,  along a busy state road, and they have expanded their offerings over the years.  

I try not to buy pumpkins and Mums in September because the pumpkins will rot (it's usually still hot in September), and the mums will die.

With being away last week, today was my first chance to stop and purchase a few pumpkins, and mums.  I think I'll need more pumpkins though.

I'll show you next week where I am putting the pumpkins and mums here at the cottage.

How about you?  Do you decorate outside your home in the autumn?